Locking device for automobiles.



I. D. PERRY.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Armcmon min usc. 1 |916.

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I; ATTORNEYS Ina n` TERRY, oF'oHIoAGQjI'LLINoIs, ASSIoNo` ',U YMSNE ASSIGNMENTS, To PEItY 'Auro `IlocK COMPANY.'

LOCKING DEV-ICE FOR` AUTOMOBIES.

ppnqation niednecember 7,1916. Y serial no. las-5,609.1

n; aziz wrom may 00mm! l y i 'Be itl n 'own hat I, IRA DPE-nay, a citizen' of the United StateS, residing atChieaiglo, tate of i-4 inthe county of Cc'oky and nois, have invented new and useful ImproveA ments in Locking Devices iorAutomobiles, of which. the fol owing 1s a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being.,

had tothe accompanying drawing, forming a )art of this specification.

Iy invention relates to `improvements in locking devices for automobiles, having special reference'to'means for locking the steering Wheel in either operative `or inoperative position.

A further object is, the production of, a,

.devicelof few operative Vpartsfthat can `be readily .applied to cars lnow in use. i

` dev'iee ,thatean beeheaply constructed and AQ further, object is theproduction of a device'that is applicable to cars of the Ford type usin planetary gear.

A, furt er object is the production of .a

onenotliable to get out oforder or to disar rangement of itsY parts..

These and such other; objects as may here--` inafter appear, are attained by my devicefin 'wli1ch-= v Figure V1 represents a vertical sectional view of my device. showing the gearing in operative position. v

Fig, 2 represents a view similar to Fig. l, with the gearing out of operative position. Fig. '3 represents a bottom plan vieW f the cap removed removed. Fig.` 4` re resents a sectional viewv on the i I line liv-4:0 Fi l1, looking in the direction indie'atedf by` e arrows. y i `L ke numerals ofv reference indicate like parte` in the several gnres of the,drawinge.` leferringnow to the drawings, 5 repre-` sente the steerin column ofan automobile,

thetoplof; Whic is" provided with a cylin-4 drical recess 6, withinwhich is` mountedthe reduced end `7 of a. stud shaft 8.

iii)

www cto 1 1. At the top oi' the steer' from the housing with ring 25' ingcolumnis a cylindrical 12,

and the outer ,periphery yis threaded 'at-15 to permit the screw cap 16 tol be screwed .in y place, protecting the interior of the lionsing Mounted on pins` Within thehousing are a plul'allty of pinions 17 meshing Withthe Speclcation of Letters Patent." patinte-(1 22 i i rack 14 onithe interior periphery of the housingand also meshing with thepinion 18 `rigidly secured on the. stud shaft 8. This Stud shaft is provided V with a peri heral fiange or collar 19 extending beyond. t e ei r.

cumference of the pinion 18, Iheapiois provided with an upwardlyextendin -porf i" tion 20 having an interior space 21 o "Silmcient diameter topermit .the passagefofgthe fia-nge 19 when the. stud shaft is moved npry wardly.

Mounted Within the eapis'a loekf22, the bolt engaging arm ofwhicl-i` engages -thefbolt i 23 having an enlnrged'end 24iextenlding .u Wardly and adapted to he swung about't el outer periphery of the leek vlnufre l. ,A supportingpl'ate or ring 25 is seenred'to the in`,.

terior surface of the cap and below the bottom of the bolt 23, serving as a support and guide for the bolt itself. When the inion 18 is meslied with the; pinions within-the housing, the bol t 23ean be turned eo thattlie,

face of the flange 19, thus holding the stud,

shaft in place and reventing the; dei ries'liifrig'l ofthe pinions.` hen it is desired to di connect the steering gearbyrlising the .stni15- shaft and demeslnng the pinions, the look; 'bolt 24 is swung aboutV into the position/ sliovvn in dotted lines in Fig. 3', the vvh'ael and stud Shaft is lifted, the flange 19 4coming. Within the upper .reeess26 in the :ca'p`,'

and the holt again svvnnginto place Vas showin` in Fig. 2, fitting belowthe under ,surfaee'o raised position and with t erigagernentavith lthe pinions of the planet,

ary

Wliee lspins on the 'stud shaft Without any, engagement with i tliesteermg 4n iecluinism.1

ear..4 In tliisjfpositiom therefore, i I

I no

i I 55s-planetary gearing, and, a capfor said lionsventing tampering with the cap or removing -it after itis once fproperly assembled in place. On one side the cap is slightly enlarged as shown at 27 and a recess 28 is provided between the outer periphery of the housing and the inner face of the cap. This opening` is enlar d at one end and u ball or pm 29 1S droppe therein and a spring 30 interposed between the ball or pin andthe end 31 of the receptacle. The receptacle tapers to a point 32 at one end. This recess is positioned below the lock c linder 22, so when the lock cylinder is in p ace access to the recess is im ible.

When tliiscap is screwed in place and before the lock is inserted, the pin or ball and spring are dropped in place as shown in'Fig. 4. The lock is then put in place and the cap screwed on. The ball or pin in no way prevents the rotation of the cap in the direction of the pointed end of the recess as .the spring permits the retraction of the ball. If, howF ever, any one attempts to' unscrew the ca or turn the cap in the opposite direction, a e., in a direction to remove the cap,'the ball or pin immediately'becomes, wedged in the restricted end of the recess, thus' absolutely preventing the rotation of the cap and its consequent reniova-l from the housing. While I have shown this method of locking the cap in place, there are numerous other methods that may be employed which come well with,- in the spirit of my invention.

This form of my device is especially applicable to the oars known as the Ford cars, but can also be ap liedto anybar using a planetary gear in t e steering mechanism.

The necessity for a device of this character is urgent as cnrs are being stolen in great numbers deilythroE :ghout the United States regardless of the character o1 the lock mecha- IliSm used to Prevent such theft. -Any other mehansm used can be either broken or rekmoved and the car operated, but in my device it is a 'practically impossible tasktoremove the cap without having the'key to the lock andas the locks are made with individual keys and no two locks are the same, it is practically impossible to pick the lock and thus place the pinions in mesh when they have once been locked in a dcmeshed position.

I claim:

1. 1na Steering head for an 'automobile the combination with a-.steering post, fixed against lengthwise movement, a housing mounted relatively to said post, a planetary gearing in said housing, of a stud shaft, a

steering wheel on Said stud shaft, a pinion fixed to said stud shaft, said stud shaftbeing mounted. for lengthwise movern e1 di relatively l'to the steering post, whereby the said pinion ing the top of vwhich is spaced from the gears ing to permitof the lengthwise movement of the stud shaft and its pinion.

2. In a steering head for an automobile, the combination with a steering post fixed against lengthwise movement, a housing mounted concentric with said post, a, lanetary gearing in said housing, of a, StilY shaft mounted to move lengthwise, and means operated by the endwise movement of the stud shaft whereby the planetaryV gearing may be operative or inoperative according to the position of said` stad shaft, and a cap for said housing the top of which is spaced from the gearin to permit the lengthwise movement of sai stud shaft', a flange carried by the shaft and oeitioned above the` pinion to limit the en wise-'movement of the stud shaft.

3- In. a steering head for an automobile, the combination with a steering post fixed against lengthwise movement, a housing mounted concentric with said post, a planetary gearing in said housing, of a stud shaft mounted to move lengthwise, and means operated by the endwise movement of the stud shaft whereby the planetary gearing may be operative onlnoperative according to the position of said stud shaft, and a cap for said housing the top of which is spaced from the gearing to permit the lengthwise movement ofsaid stud shaft, means carried by the shaft to limit the endwise movement of the shaft in both directions.

4. A locking device for motor vehicles, comprising a steering post, a steering wheel having a stud shaft movable lengthwise of said post, a planetary, gear connection between said post and stud shaft, one pinion of which is mounted on said stud shaft, and arranged to be demeshed from the other pinlon `of the planetary gear, a lock bolt arranged to support said pinion out of mesh with the other pinions, and locking means associated with said bolt for moving it into and out of position supporting said pinion.'

5. A locking device for motor vehicles, comprising a steering post,- a steering wheel having a stud shaft movablellengthwise of' said post, avplanetary gearl connection between said post and stud shaft, including a pinion fast on lthe studshaft and capable of being demeshed from other Ipin'ions of the planetary gear, a flange on said stud shaft above the pinion, a movably mounted lock l condltion. I. y

6. A locking device for motor 'veh1cles,

comprising a steermg post, a steering wheel having a stud shaft movable lengthwise of said post, a planetary gear connection beiso` . 'n i j tween said post and stud shaft including a keyopereted lock mechanism, hef y e'bolt i Enion fast on the stud shaft and capable ofen aging arm for reciprocating' sa'id lt. i 10 ing demeshed from other pinions of the n witness whereof, I have hereunto sub-y planetarygear, `a" flange on said stud shaft scribed'my name. v5 above the pinion, a Vmovably ymounted lock s .1

bolt, one Tend of which is arranged when in Witnesses:` one' position -to engage said flange angl sup-r' E. JOHNSON, u port the pinion in demeshed condition, and EDITH ANDERSON. v, 

